Music Match-Up #1: Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Every once in a while, I come across a song that fits perfectly with a book I’ve read. In this new feature, I’ll tell you about them!

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

At the beginning of the year, I read Just One Day and fell in absolute and complete love with it. Last month I read Just One Year and… well that didn’t go too well. But I’m focusing on the beauty of Just One Day here. Allyson spends one beautiful day in Paris with a stranger, Willem, and falls in love. While it does seem like it would be instalove, they talk about such deep things and make such a connection that it absolutely doesn’t feel like it. Those two are amazing together. The series then shows the aftereffects of this day on both Allyson and Willem after they are separated by events.

The song that I found, or rather the song that found me, is Permanent Stain, from the new Backstreet Boys album. The second I heard it, I thought about Just One Day, and some of the most beautiful and memorable passages: about how love is like a stain. A concept that is a pillar in the first book and comes back in the second as well. The song feels like it was written for this book/series.

“It’s something that never comes off, no matter how much you might want it to.”

“You’re comparing love to a…stain?”
He leans so far back in his seat that the front legs of his chair scrape off the floor. He looks very satisfied, with the crepe or with himself, I’m not sure. “Exactly.”

But then Mason touches my neck, to the spot on it where the cut from that night has since healed, and I pull away.

He was right, after all; it didn’t leave a scar, though part of me wishes it had. At least I’d have some evidence, some justification of this permanence. Stains are even worse when you’re the only one who can see them.

And that’s when I understand that I have been stained. Whether I’m still in love with him, whether he was ever in love with me, and no matter who he’s in love with now, Willem changed my life. He showed me how to get lost, and then I showed myself how to get found.

“Out in the rain, looking for sunshine
I call your name, but you’re like a ghost
I let you disappear, should’ve never let you go
I want to say just for the record
That you still got my heart and my soul
And though we’re worlds apart
Yeah, I gotta let you know
You are the piece I can’t replace, oh
You left a mark that won’t erase, oh

No one else can teach me how to love again
‘Cause you left a permanent stain on my heart and I’ve been feeling it
Never mind what people say ’cause they don’t understand
How you left a permanent stain on my heart, you’re never leaving it”

Let’s Talk!

What do you think about the match between Just One Day and Permanent Stain? Isn’t it just a beautiful song? And what do you think about this new feature? Do you often associate a song with a book, like me?

Notice: It seems you have Javascript disabled in your Browser. In order to submit a comment to this post, please write this code along with your comment: 7537e33970b4bc346659523fc289b48c

Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail

6 responses to “Music Match-Up #1: Just One Day by Gayle Forman”

Morgan

Love this feature, this happens to me all the time! Sometimes I associate books with certain albums I listened to at the time while I read (BBMak and HP Goblet of Fire!). But when I read Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill- sooooo amazing btw- a song immediately popped in my head. Tell Me A Lie by One Direction. The lyrics really reminded me of the smartass but adorable main character Jason. I still think of the book whenever I hear the song and it makes me smile! Can’t wait to see what other song/book combos you come up with 🙂

This is a great feature! I have this sometimes as well, but I don’t remember what songs or books I have this with xD I haven’t read Just One Day yet (shame on me) so I can’t relate, but I listened to the song and I love the song! I haven’t listened to the Backstreet Boys in SO LONG. *goes to check out their new music*

I really like this feature, especially since it brings something (music) not often brought into book blogging! I do not know how well the song complements the book, but I take your word. BACKSTREET BOYS, ftw! But… I personally think this tune sounds more like 1D, and not a seasoned ‘boy’ band lol.

Hello!!! Ok so I read the whole Just One Day series back in October and absolutely fell in love with it! The two quotes that stand out the most are when Allyson says “We are born in one day. We die in one day. We can change in one day. And we can fall in love in one day. Anything can happen in just one day.”… And then when Willem was describing his theory on falling in love, and being in love and stains. My boyfriend and I fell in love remarkably fast and I wanted to read him the part about Willems theory, but I loaned a friend the book and she lost it 😖. I have been searching online for over an hour trying to find the full quote of exactly what he said to Allyson about stains but I have only been able to find snippets of it. I was wondering if it was possible for you to help me by posting the entire thing? I really like this feature btw.. and the backstreet boys song fits PERFECTLY with the book! 😊